Would having mental health history cause any problems in being a pilot?

[Aviation_fan]

Will it not be possible to get a private pilot license (and commercial pilot license down the road) with mental health history?

I’ve always been intrigued with aviation, but thought that my stutter would stop me from achieving that dream. But recently I met a pilot that also stuttered and meeting him reignited that dream of mine.

Throughout life my stutter affected me in a negative way and people would treat me horribly. Due to that, I always felt sort of depressed/sad. I felt alone and felt like my dreams were unreachable because of my speech impediment. But an year ago, I started meeting other people who also stutter, started speech therapy, and also psychotherapy because I had a lot of baggage that I needed to “unpack” and I didn’t have anyone else to talk to. I also struggled with being gay and since I was brought up in a homophobic household (and all of my friends are homophobic as well), I have been forced to be in the closet and it proved to be a very depressing experience. Talking to this psychotherapist was my only option because he was the only “unconditional fatherely love” giving man that I could ever have in my life. After about 1-2 days of therapy with him, he suggested/talked me in to seeing a psychiatrist so he could prescribe me antidepressants and anxiety pills. I took the pills for about a week or less but stopped it because I was feeling great after just talk therapy. All I wanted was just talk therapy, but it felt like they wanted to try out the medication(s) on me to “treat” me faster. I continued seeing the psychotherapist for a few months and I felt great about everything in my life. Then I started dating this older man and come to find out that he was playing with my feelings and “ghosted” me. He was my first love and it seemed like everything was falling apart. Afterwards to deal with that pain I took extra amounts of the anxiety pills. I was then taken to the ER and psychiatric hospital and was released in few hours because they determined I wasn’t trying to kill myself (which I wasn’t), but on my medical records it says it was a suicide gesture event.
Would this stop me from being a pilot?

 

[PeterNSteinmetz]

to deal with that pain I took extra amounts of the anxiety pills. I was then taken to the ER and psychiatric hospital and was released in few hours because they determined I wasn’t trying to kill myself (which I wasn’t), but on my medical records it says it was a suicide gesture event.
Would this stop me from being a pilot?

This part of the history will be a very serious impediment to obtaining a medical. If you want to check into it, contact an expert senior HIMS AME who deals with this type of case and do NOT apply unless they tell you it will work as a special issuance.

If it can work, it will be about $5-7k for the various testing and a year of supervised treatment and then waiting.

Several such AME’s frequent this forum - Drs. Chien and Fowler.

In the meantime, I would suggest looking into learning to fly gliders. You can get a private doing that without a medical (provided you are not having current medical issues and can self certify) and do a power add-on later if a medical is obtainable. Sport pilot and light sport airplanes are also possible at this point (if you can self certify).

 

[PeterNSteinmetz]

I’m finishing up university now and things are looking up. I don’t feel depressed at all now. It was all situational.

That’s good, but to convince the FAA will require the year or more and $5-10k. I would still suggest that before spending that time and money, take up flying gliders or light sport aircraft. You will learn a lot about flying and how much you do or don’t like it during the time when your medical is in the works.

 

[PeterNSteinmetz]

This is drug abuse. And even if it weren't a second medicated psychiatric condition from the first is pretty problematic.

Agree this will be a very difficult special issuance , if possible. Based on the history presented though I am not certain it would meet DSM criteria for a substance abuse disorder.